This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
It is important to maintain a proper amount of oil in an engine in order for the engine to be properly lubricated. Typically, engines are equipped with a dipstick that is manually removed from an engine in order to observe the oil level of the oil on the dipstick. Although the oil dipstick is a reliable method of detecting the oil level, it requires that the vehicle operator open the vehicle hood and pull the dipstick out of the engine. Optional engine oil switches exist that notify an operator that the oil level is low. These oil switches have to be wired into the vehicle and fixedly mounted within the oil pan at a level representative of a minimum level at which the user needs to be notified of the low oil condition. Therefore, the typical oil level sensor is only useful for providing a low oil indicator when a low oil condition exists.
The present disclosure provides implementation and a control methodology of a wireless oil level sensor. The control methodology includes mounting a wireless oil pressure sensor to the oil plug of an engine. The oil pressure sensor detects a pressure which can then be used to determine a volume or level of oil above the sensor. The oil level sensor can include an accelerometer sensor that can be excited by the vibration caused by the starting of the engine to “wake up” the sensor. The sensor can take an initial pressure reading at start up and associate the pressure reading with an oil level that can then be transmitted to a vehicle control unit. The sensor can remain idle until the accelerometer sensor no longer detects engine vibrations at which time the sensor is activated to take pressure readings at predetermined time intervals and to transmit an associated oil level to the vehicle central processor until a predetermined time period has expired. The oil sensor then goes into sleep mode in order to maximize battery life.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the oil sensor can further be utilized to detect an oil change condition and report the oil change condition to the vehicle control unit so that the oil life monitor can be automatically reset without requiring any input from the vehicle operator.
According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, the oil sensor can be utilized to estimate crankcase pressure during engine operation to help service technicians determine if the crankcase ventilation system or piston rings are operating properly.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.